Given that one’s esports career can be short-lived and influenced by various factors such as injuries, performance, changing gaming trends or personal life, more and more are emphasizing the importance of esports players also pursuing other long-term career goals. That is why the topic of profession and dual careers also plays a major role for us. We support the players in developing their professional skills and career paths outside of esports.
Danli ‘Danli’ Shen – previously known as Kiss3TheRain – has been playing League of Legends since Season 3. She is currently active for the Unicorns Of Love Academy team. Danli previously competed for Galaxy Racer MENA in the EEC and ernroar (nordic) in the 3rd DIV of the NLC. She is considered a player who quickly understands and implements new concepts. 2024 is already their 2nd year in the Equal eSports Initiative.
How did you get into esports and what motivated you to become an esports player?
I started playing some small local tournaments with my team. Once they stopped competing, I decided to approach other teams and continued playing competitively on my own. At first playing competitively was just something I was trying, but I quickly fell in love with the scene. I feel a sense of drive when I see teams winning leagues and trophies and it’s what I am hoping to accomplish in the future.
What made you decide to pursue a master's degree in bioinformatics?
I am a very curious person and have always been interested in biology and technology. I found bioinformatics very interesting and wanted to find out what it was.
How do you manage to balance your esports training with the demanding study schedule?
I am a very disciplined and structured person, as I plan every hour from waking up until going to sleep. I plan every hour carefully, so that I manage to do all my study, meetings and esports training.
Are there any parallels between bioinformatics and esports?
There is data analysis in both bioinformatics and esports, where in esports for an example you can analyze a team, what champions have the players played in officials and their win ratio etc. as well as in bioinformatics, you look at biological data and find patterns. Teamwork is also very important in both esports and bioinformatics.
What skills from your esports training can you apply to your future career and vice versa?
Through my esports training, I have improved my mental health by understanding what mindset is good to have while approaching my goals. I also worked with teammates from very different backgrounds, who are all chasing the same goal. I think it has improved my teamwork and communication in so many positive ways. I believe that these skills will help me a lot in my future career.
What challenges have you faced so far in pursuing both paths?
The biggest challenge for me was to understand that my time was limited, and therefore it was important to prioritize the things I needed to do in a good order.
Do you have any advice on time management?
I believe using a calendar was very helpful for me, writing down deadlines and what needed to be done. And it is important to be focused and productive as well as having breaks to rest.
Would you encourage every player to start a career besides being an esports player?
Yes, definitely. I believe having a dual career empowered me to look at situations from different perspectives. It was very helpful for me personally to sometimes focus on other things than only thinking about how I can improve in esports.
What are your long-term goals in life?
Currently, my goal in esports is to play in division 1 or 2 in a major ERL. I want to work for an international pharmaceutical company.
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